


The Future is Now

by AwakeAndAliveSpartan



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, I hope things will make sense., Parallel Universes, S5 AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-03-24 04:28:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13803399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwakeAndAliveSpartan/pseuds/AwakeAndAliveSpartan
Summary: Time is a complicated thing; it never works like how you expect. But it sometimes brings good when you least expect it, especially to those separated by completely different worlds.But Grant Ward and Daisy always find a way back to one another.





	1. I'm Gonna Take the Past Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "They said there was no way  
> But they forgot the black hole in the sky.  
> Yesterday is nothing.  
> I have half a life to rewrite."
> 
> The Future is Now - Starset

Everyone stumbled forward as the Monolith spit them out. Most of them found themselves falling onto cold, hard concrete. Someone screamed out. It sounded like Fitz.

“Is everyone okay?” Coulson called out, bringing himself to his feet and brushing the dirt off of his jacket. “That thing kind of threw us out.”

“Yeah, looks like everyone’s okay.” Daisy announced, squinting to try and see everyone in the low light of the room they were in. “Why’s it so dark in here?”

“There’s no telling to where we’ve landed.” Fitz answered, looking around at their surroundings before casting a quick glance at the Monolith. He looked around again and frowned, “Hey, where’s Mack, Elena, and that Flint kid?” he asked. “I don’t see them. But we’re all together.”

“Jesus Christ.” Coulson mumbled, shaking his head. “Things can never go right, can they? We go back in time and half of us get separated.” He looked back up at Fitz, “Any chance that they’re around here?”

Fitz shrugged, “Well, time’s nonlinear. There’s no telling to where they were spit out.” He pointed at the Monolith, “But we ended up with the Monolith. If they’re somewhere, or sometime, completely different, then that’s bad news for them.”

“Then we find them. It can’t be that hard.” May stated, walking towards the door of the room. “But we’ve got to figure out just where the hell we are. There’s no telling to where we’re at and I’m honestly afraid to find out. ‘Cause, you know, things can never go right for us, can they?”

Everyone blinked, standing in place for a moment before following May out the door. They headed down a cold and damp hallway before they stopped in a dead corridor.

“Is… Isn’t this the Playground?” Simmons asked, looking around. “But it’s so dead.”

“Maybe this is sometime before the LMD May blew it up.” Coulson answered, looking around as well. “But something doesn’t seem right. Some of the lights are on, so someone’s got to be here, but it does seem dead.”

Fitz shifted uncomfortably, “It… It kind of feels like a different place, doesn’t it?” he asked. “You’re right, something doesn’t seem right.” He walked a little further down the hallway and turned the corner, stopping as he saw something sketched onto the far wall, “Like that.”

The team frowned, looking at one another in confusion before following Fitz’s steps. They all froze once they reached the engineer’s position and saw just what he was staring out.

The SHIELD eagle that had adorned the main hallway had been crossed out with a huge, black slash. Like it had been burned.

“I don’t think this is our world.”

“Huh?” Coulson asked, spinning around to face the younger agent. “What do you mean? And how do you figure that?”

Fitz began muttering something under his breath, pacing around as he counted off on his fingers. “Like I said earlier, time isn’t exactly _linear_. All timey-wimey and all that.”

Daisy rolled her eyes, “We can use an explanation _without_ the Doctor Who, Fitz.”

“Sorry, but it’s the best way I can try to explain it.” Fitz sighed and ran his hands through his hair, “Timelines basically crisscross one another and it’s hard to sometime just pinpoint one. Then there’s the multiverse theory.”

“So?”

“He’s saying that he thinks that we’ve jumped into another timeline. A parallel universe.” Simmons translated. “It… It’s possible. Maybe the Monolith miscalculated the landing.”

“Yeah, by a completely different universe.” Daisy retorted, crossing her arms. “Now, how do we get home? If we are really not in our world, then I’d like to get out of here as soon as possible.”

Fitz shrugged, “I have no idea.” he answered simply. “Maybe we’ll just have to go through the Monolith again.”

“You know I hate that thing.” Simmons mumbled, looking away. “It might just end up sending up back to Maveth.”

“Now, I think that’s unlikely. I think it got the date right.” he paused and pulled out his phone to check the date. “It’s 2017. A little off, but still the same general timeframe. But that definitely shows that this is a different universe. I think this place was destroyed by now. Again, it got the date fairly right, but it jumped us into another timeline. But the only question is how different this place is from our world.”

“God, please don’t let it be another Framework.” Daisy muttered to herself. “I’d like to _not_ deal with Hydra for once.”

“Well, hopefully we can get out of here soon enough.” Coulson stated, sticking his hands in his pockets. “I don’t like the feel of this place at all. Something’s not right here. So, I’d like to get out of here before we find out just how different this place is.”

Fitz nodded, “Then let’s get back to the Monolith and see if we can get it to take us back to where we really need to be.” he said in response, going to turn around. He went to begin to lead them back to the Monolith, but a sudden, gruff voice from behind them stopped him dead in his tracks.

“I wouldn’t move if I were you. Especially if you’d like to get out of here with your lives. This is private property. No one but me is supposed to be in here.”

Everyone completely froze over at the sound of the voice, something _extremely_ familiar about it.

“Turn around now and put your hands up. Slowly. Or I will fire.”

“Look,” Coulson began, slowly raising his hands into the air. “We’re just passing through, so I’m sure that we can work something out.” He began to turn around to face the newcomer, “I…” he trailed off and froze once more when he realized just who had shown up.”

“Ward…”

Everyone else spun around just in time to see Grant Ward drop his gun, the metal hitting the concrete below him with a loud clang. Both fear and surprise shown in his eye as he stared at them, trying to comprehend the fact that they were here. He slowly drug a hand down his face and over his thick beard.

“Of course he’s here.” May muttered quietly so he couldn’t hear her. “We can’t get away from him.”

Daisy blinked, trying to figure out something to say, but that’s when she noticed just how horrible he looked. Grant’s hair stuck up in various places and he sported a beard that showed that he hadn’t shaved in quite a while. Dark, heavy bags hung underneath his eyes as well. She frowned as she noticed holes in his jeans that looked like something that burned them.

“I-I don’t understand.” Grant stammered, taking a zombie-like step towards them. “I-I saw you all die. I went to the funerals.”

“Huh?”

“You’re supposed to be dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know it's not the longest of opening chapters, but I hope it does it justice. And that it makes sense as well. Things of this new universe will be explained the next chapter. And I hope to keep this a short one like Is This Where the Story Ends. I hope that you enjoy! Please leave a comment or kudos!


	2. It's Over Now, It Slips Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Disappear, without a trace.  
> A treasure lost, I can't replace.  
> The only piece that still remains  
> is in these scars, in this pain."
> 
> Gone - Red.

The team just looked at one another before looking back at Grant, who was still staring at them like he had seen ghosts. And, honestly, he was.

“Dead?” Coulson asked carefully. “We’re… We’re not dead. We’re not even from here. We’re just passing through.”

“Not from here?” Grant croaked, rubbing his hands against the fabric of his jeans in anxiety. “You’re not aliens, are you? I-I’m not doing the whole shape-shifting alien thing again.”

They all looked at each other before Fitz decided to respond, “Like Coulson said, we’re just passing through. We were trying to get back from the future and into our present. But… But it looks like we took a wrong turn and ended up in a different timeline.”

“Different timeline?” Grant frowned and scratched the back of his head. “You mean another world? Like a parallel universe type of deal?” He laughed darkly, “What did I do to deserve this? The world suddenly just spits out different versions of you to fuck with me.”

“Look, we’re just passing through.” Fitz stated. “We’ll be out of here as soon as we can.” He turned back around to the others, “I’ll go check on the Monolith. Hopefully it’ll be able to get us out of here soon.” He quickly dashed off, glad to get out of the awkward situation.

Grant blinked, “Hold on, then why isn’t there another me with you?” he asked, looking towards where Daisy stood. “Where am I?”

Coulson looked gingerly towards the others before looking back, “It’s… It’s a long story. But you’re, uh, dead where we come from.” he stated. “You weren’t a nice guy and you… You got killed.” He failed to mention that he had been the one who killed him.

Grant’s face fell, “No… That doesn’t make sense. I… I would never do such a thing. I’m not a bad guy…” he trailed off and shook his head. “Well, if it’s another version of me, then that makes sense. I guess not every version of me is good, considering where I do come from.” He held up his hands, realizing that’s why everyone seemed so apprehensive of him, “But I’m not bad here! I promise! I haven’t done anything wrong since Garrett and Hydra!”

“So what happened here?” May asked, figuring that they had plenty of time. Honestly, she did want to find out just why this Grant was so different. Just like how the Framework one had been.

“I… I don’t understand what you mean.”

“I mean, how did you end up SHIELD?”

Grant flinched at May’s harsh tone. He wasn’t used to hatred being directed towards him by the others. That hadn’t happened in over four years.

He looked towards both Coulson and Daisy, “You two, I mean the ones here, pulled me out of the Vault after I had a mental breakdown and tried to kill myself. Realized that I wasn’t all that bad. I was let back into SHIELD under heavy restrictions and an order to go through intense therapy. It was rough, but… But I pulled through. Yet I feel like I’m back there again. It’s been this way for the past few months. I just can’t find the strength to run from it all.”

Daisy blinked, “So what happened?”

“Hydra. We were all on a mission and we got separated. Well, mainly I got separated from everyone else.” he muttered quietly. “When I finally found them, you… No, they were all on the ground dying. All five of you. Hydra trapped them and rendered Skye’s powers useless. Bullets to both the head and chest and there was nothing I could do to save them. Their deaths are my fault because I wasn’t there for them. I should be dead, too. I should’ve died alongside them.” He turned away, “Now I live in an eternal hell once again.

All of SHIELD’s responsibilities fell onto me because I was the only one left.” he continued. “The government didn’t like the idea of SHIELD being run by an ex-Hydra agent and protested. It was either hand SHIELD over to them or let them shut it down. I… I couldn’t let them run it. I knew that it wasn’t the right thing.” He ran his hands through his hair, “So I shut it down. I’m the only one left in this building because I can’t leave. I don’t want to forget what I once had.

I had a wife. I almost had a child. I was almost forever happy, but that was thrown away when Skye and the others were killed.”

Daisy blinked, her heart lurching when she realized that she and Grant were _married_ in this world. Did every other universe want them together?

Grant looked away, “But… But that’s in the past now. I just have to move on. Somehow.” he muttered. “I don’t know how, though.”

“I’m going to go check on Fitz.” Simmons quickly said, leaving before anyone could say anything. She really didn’t want to be here any longer.

With a sigh, Grant turned around and began to walk away, “Guess it doesn’t hurt to show some hospitality.” he mumbled, gesturing for them to follow him. “I don’t like this anymore than you do. This world continues to drag me through hell.” His shoulders slumped as he began to lead them elsewhere, “What did I do to deserve _this_?”

With a shrug, Coulson began to follow. He knew that this Grant wouldn’t even think of hurting him, so he figured that it wouldn’t hurt to follow him for now. Just until the Monolith wanted to work again. He just hoped that it would be soon. The idea of this parallel world was making his head hurt big time.

Grant lead them into the common room. At least the base was no different than it had been in the other world. The only notable differences were that it was dark and that the emblem on the wall had been burned across.

“Why was the SHIELD logo out there crossed out?” May asked, her tone still the same. “What happened to it?”

“Huh?” Grant turned around, fear and sadness still shining in his eyes. “Oh… I, uh, had a bad day a few months ago about a week after you, they, died. I-I couldn’t stand the sight of it and I just wanted it _gone_. I think you would understand.”

“Then why did it look as though it had been burned?” Daisy questioned, watching as Grant sat down in a chair and threw his head back to look up at the ceiling.

Grant didn’t understand the question. “Because I burned it?” He didn’t look back at her, “Like I said, I had a bad day. I lost control of myself and that just happened. I know that it’s been like four years, but I still have issues controlling them sometimes.”

Daisy blinked, slowly realizing what he meant, but she didn’t say anything. Grant was referencing the fact that he was _powered_. From what she could tell, they had something to do with fire. But did that mean he was Inhuman? If he had been with the team the entire time here, then how did he go through Terrigenesis?

The whole thing made Daisy’s head hurt and she decided not to comment on it. Perhaps it was still a sore subject with this Grant and she didn’t want to end up setting him off in any way. She looked at Coulson and May and could tell that they knew what he meant as well. But they too remained silent.

Grant sighed and looked back at them, something unfamiliar burning deep within his eyes, “Since it seems that we have plenty of time to burn before you can get out of here, do you mind if I ask a question?” he asked. “Something about your world.”

Daisy frowned, looking over at Coulson and May once more before looking back towards Grant, “About what?”

“You said that I died. Because I was a bad guy.” he stated, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “Just how bad was I?

What… What was I like?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So some insight to what happened to the team in this world. And now this Grant wants to know what happened to the other world's version of him. Not good. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	3. I'm Down With the Fallen Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Can you tell me what is real?  
> Cause I've lost my way again.  
> Can you tell me how to feel?  
> Cause I don't feel anything   
> Now that I'm down here again."
> 
> Down With the Fallen - Starset

Daisy’s stomach dropped with Grant’s question, not sure of how to answer that. She blinked, “I, uh, what?” she asked, a complete loss for words. She looked over to Coulson and May; it was clear on their faces that they didn’t want to do the explaining.

“So, what was I like?” Grant repeated, not sure to why Daisy looked so scared. Just how bad had he been?

Daisy looked back to Coulson and May before sitting down, knowing that it would take a while to explain things, “You… You weren’t a good guy.” she began. “It’s a very long story.”

“I think you’ve got plenty of time.”

She sighed, knowing that this Grant wasn’t going to leave them alone until he knew the truth about his other self. “Well, you were never pulled out of the Vault by us. You stayed there for much longer. Long story short, you broke out of a FBI caravan while being transported to your brother.”

Grant froze and straightened up, “Christian?” he croaked. “Why would he want me? He hates me. Hell, he was one of the ones responsible for SHIELD being fully shut down.”

“I… I don’t remember the full details to why he wanted you. Something about finding the proper trial for you, I don’t know. I was too blinded by anger back then.” she said. “We were probably the reasons for your downfall, anyways.” she quickly added underneath her breath where no one could hear her.

“He had me killed, then. Sounds like something he’d do.”

“No, it… It doesn’t end there.” Daisy continued, sucking in a sharp breath. “Like I said, you broke out of the FBI caravan. You tracked your brother and parents down. And you… Well, you killed them. Well, we think you did.”

Grant blinked and his face fell. Even though he hated Christian and their parents, he would never do such a thing. Not anymore. He wasn’t even sure of what to say in response.

“You ended up kidnapping me and taking me to my father.” she continued lightly. “Which is when I got my powers and I tried to kill you.”

Grant wrinkled his nose, “Why would I kidnap you?” he asked quietly. “I would never do such a thing. I would never hurt you.”

“You thought the only way to please me was to fulfill your promise of helping me find my family. It ended wrong. I shot you and left you for dead. You ran off with another ex-agent… Well, no, that’s not the right thing to call her. Kara had been brainwashed by Hydra and you were trying to help her.” Daisy corrected herself with a shake of her head. “Things went badly, you tried to torture Agent Morse in retaliation since she was apparently the reason to why Kara got brainwashed. Everything went south, SHIELD attacked and it led to you accidently killing her. You blamed us for everything that happened and you completely lost yourself.”

“I…” Once again, Grant had no idea of what to say. This didn’t sound like him at all. Had he really gone _this_ dark in their world? He had once been a hero here, so it was really hard to believe that he had been some kind of villain elsewhere.

“You went on a revenge campaign.” Coulson continued for Daisy, seeing that she really didn’t want to keep on going. “You took the reins of a small faction of Hydra and built it up until it was the most prevalent one for a while. You were Hydra’s director for a while.”

Grant’s stomach flopped and the color drained from his face, “Why would I do that?” he asked in disbelief. “Even when I was under Garrett, we never believed in Hydra’s ideals. Garrett only sided himself with them because they were a means to an end. His own words. We weren’t interested in world domination or any of that shit they spewed.”

“And you weren’t either. You built up an opposition force against us because you thought that it was the only way you could get revenge.” Coulson answered, once again taking in Grant’s ragged appearance. He figured that the man had lost the will to live. Coulson sighed, “And it worked for a while. You killed people. You got yourself under the command of Gideon Malick, which only led to your demise.”

Grant blinked, “Malick? Wasn’t that the guy who was so damn intent on bringing some ancient Inhuman god to this world?” he asked. “Why the hell would I follow that shit?”

May blinked, “So Hive happened here as well?” she asked, not answering the question that he had asked.

“You didn’t answer my question.” Grant stated coldly, clearly upset that they were dodging some of his questions. He hated talking about Hive, ever since that monster had brainwashed him and used him as an Inhuman weapon.

“I don’t know. Malick had convinced you that you were part of some big plan and that you mattered there, which you fell for.” Daisy stated with a shrug. “Or at least that’s what Fitz told me. You drug Fitz to that planet and Coulson went after you. And… And that’s where you died.” Her gaze fell low, “Coulson killed you. Crushed your chest.”

Grant suddenly felt sick and couldn’t look at Coulson. Why would the man that had basically become another father figure to him do such a thing? That didn’t sound like Coulson at all. Grant looked up, the deadness in his eyes returning once more, “My Coulson wasn’t a killer. What the hell happened to you?” he asked coldly. “Why didn’t you help me like you did here?”

Coulson’s shoulders slumped and he was at a loss for words. How could he explain things? He had realized that everything was due to blind and utter rage. But he still wasn’t sure. “I… I don’t know…”

Grant stood up and looked away, “And why do I feel like that that’s not the end?” he asked quietly. “What happened next?”

“Hive took your body.” Daisy said, looking down at the floor. “Used it as his host until he was killed with a warhead in space.”

“At least it stopped the monster that I was… But why didn’t you pull me out of the Vault?” he asked, looking down at his wrist. The jagged scar spanning the length of his forearm jeered at him. “You did here, why didn’t you?”

“Honestly, we hated you. I wanted you to die.” Daisy said meekly, not sure of how to explain any of it. “We just wanted you gone and I guess that created a monster. We… We were far too caught up in our anger to even do anything.”

Grant ran his hands through his hair and they didn’t notice the brief shine of red that flashed in his eyes, “No, I was a monster. You should’ve been angry at me.” he stated. “But I swear that I’m not like that here. I-I was a hero before you all died. Now I’m nothing. I have nothing left. Maybe I was better off in that other world. Because I’m dead there. I wanna be dead here but I just can’t bring myself to do it.” He ran a hand over his face, “Please don’t look at me badly because of that bad shit you saw that other me do. That’s not me. I would never do anything like that. Not anymore.”

Daisy’s heart lurched as he looked at them, pure pain shining in his eyes, _“What did we do?”_ she asked herself. _“If this was the Ward we could’ve had, why didn’t we help him? We had a man practically pleading for help and we ignored him. And we ended up creating an absolute monster in the end. The monster wasn’t his fault, it was ours.”_

Grant sighed and sat back down, burying his face in his hands, “Seems like no version of me can ever catch a break.” he muttered. “Your version was a complete and utter psychopath and I’ve lost everything that I’ve ever had. I was supposed to have a family. Kids. And this goddamn world took everything from me. Seems like I was never supposed to be happy. And this? This only makes things worse.

The world continues to fuck me over.” he continued. “I had just finished dealing with the government, now you show up. Why… Why can’t I ever catch a damn break?”

May blinked and turned around to leave, “I’m going to see if Fitz is done with that rock yet.” she muttered before leaving. She didn’t want to stay here any longer.

Daisy bit her lip, “How… How did your life here go?” she asked. “Before the deaths?”

Grant looked up and sighed, “It was nice. While it lasted. After you and Coulson pulled me out of the Vault, you were dead set on helping me recover. It went pretty well for a few months until Hydra kidnapped you and I ran after you to get you back.” he explained. “We ended up trapped in an Inhuman temple together and you can probably guess what happened there.

It was hard coming back from that. Everyone was afraid of us.” he explained. “But once we were able to prove ourselves, things were fine for a few months until Hive showed up. He took control of me and used me as a weapon until you were able to break me out of it. Then we were able to rebuild SHIELD. It ran smoothly for a year and a half until Hydra attacked and things went south. It’s been hell since then.”

He pressed his hands against his eyes to try and block the oncoming headache, “I can’t ever get things right. Guess no world wants me to be happy.

What… What the hell did I do to deserve any of this?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Grant learns the truth about his other self. And he continues to go downhill. And it's only a matter of time before the team leaves.... Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	4. To Somewhere That We Belong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Sometimes we try to feel  
> How things just used to be in yesterdays.  
> No one ever make it better.  
> No one ever lives forever.  
> Wake me up and let me go."
> 
> The Perfect World - B: The Beginning OST

Everyone ended up sitting in utter and awkward silence for what seemed like forever, only because no one knew what to say to Grant without possibly upsetting him. No one wanted to set him off; there was no telling what he was capable of and Coulson knew that a pyrokinetic Grant Ward was probably one of the most dangerous beings on the planet. So, it was best that they sit in silence until Fitz could figure out how to reactivate the Monolith so they could get the hell out of here. 

Daisy still found it funny that they landed here. Was there some otherworldly reason to why they were here? Just watching this version of Grant hurt her emotionally. Just how much had they screwed over their Grant? She could start to see that maybe, just maybe, they could’ve had this Grant with them all along. Maybe if they just hadn’t been so damn selfish and hateful…

Grant continued to blankly stare at them, pain shining deep within his whiskey-brown eyes. He desperately wanted to talk to Daisy, but he knew that it wasn’t his place to do so. She wasn’t his Skye. She never would be. His Skye was gone, violently ripped away from him just like everyone else he ever loved. 

So, he hated the fact that an alternate version of the team had suddenly popped up out of nowhere, only reminding him of the pain that he trudged through on a daily basis. It was like the universe loved rubbing it in his face that he was cursed to be alone forever. Anyone he ever loved was either dead or hated him. 

But, a part of him didn’t want to see them go. That part couldn’t bear to lose them again, even if they really weren’t his own. Honestly, he really didn’t know how to feel about this entire situation. 

Several more minutes passed again before May came into the room.

“Fitz got that rock to start responding.” she announced. “If we’re hoping to get the hell out of here soon, we better go now. His words.”

Coulson nodded and turned to face May, “Is he sure that it’ll work?” he asked cautiously. “It’s not going to throw us into  _ another  _ universe?”

She shrugged, “Hell if I know. But doesn’t hurt to try.”

Grant’s heart skipped a few beats and he quickly stood to his feet, “So… So, you’re leaving?” Sadness laced his voice and Daisy couldn’t help but to hurt for him again. It was pretty much like he was losing them all over again. “You’re going already?”

“We can’t stay here forever, it’s not our place to be.” Coulson stated, looking towards the saddened Grant. “We need to get back to our world and finish what we were doing. We can’t keep dawdling.” 

Fire burned deep within Grant’s chest as he heard the faint traces of disdain in Coulson’s voice. He would never get used to hearing their hatred directed towards him once again. He knew that he had been a complete and monster in the other world, but did it really warrant them hating  _ him _ ? Especially when it sounded like his downfall in the other world was partially their fault. Why hadn’t they helped him there like they had here?

Daisy sighed and turned her gaze away from Grant. She couldn’t bear to look him in the eyes anymore. The sadness pouring from them was just too much for her to handle. “We have a world to save.” she stated quietly. “We have to prevent an apocalyptic future. It’s in our hands.”

Grant frowned, not sure of what she meant, “Huh? The world’s ending?” he asked, slight fear in his voice. “How?”

“It probably doesn’t pertain to here, but the other world pretty much shattered. We’ve got to figure out how and try to prevent it.” Coulson tried to explain. “That’s why we can’t stay here.” He turned away once again, “We’re not here to cater to you.” he muttered underneath his breath so no one else could hear him. “Let’s go.”

Grant nodded slowly once more, “I… I guess that it wouldn’t hurt to lead you back. Where’s my manners?” he asked sadly. He walked past them, “See you off. Again. At least you’re not dead this time. At least I get to say goodbye this time….”

Coulson, Daisy, and May all looked at one another before following Grant. This Grant was in so much pain that none of them could even begin to understand just how much suffering one man could go through. Coulson was actually starting to feel sorry for him, even if he couldn’t stand the sight of him. 

Grant led them quietly down the hallway, stopping after a couple of minutes and turning to face them, “So where the hell did you come out from?” he asked, looking around. “Where did that rock you’re talking about go?”

Daisy took a breath and stepped forward, “Guess I’ll lead the way.” she stated, trying to ignore the way that Grant looked at her. The look in his eyes was filled with both longing and grief. Her presence only reminded him of just how much he missed his wife. 

They walked down the hallways and towards the storage bay, walking in to see Fitz still messing with the Monolith. He paused and looked at them as soon as he realized that they were in the room. 

“I think I’ve got it reacting to the frequency!” he exclaimed. “But we need to go now! Before it goes dormant again.” His eyes rested on to Grant and he quickly looked away. 

Grant frowned as he walked up to the Monolith, the rock reacting violently to his presence, “You came here with  _ this _ ?” he asked incredulously. “This is the damn thing that ate Simmons and took her to that Godforsaken planet.”

“Why the bloody hell is it acting like that?” Simmons asked, ignoring what Grant had said. “I thought those things only reacted to Inhumans.”

“Yeah?” Grant looked at her and frowned. Wasn’t the other world’s version of him an Inhuman? “The one that ate you didn’t like me either.”

Simmons’ stomach lurched as she realized that that meant that Grant was an Inhuman. Just what else was different here? She really hated to know the answer to that. 

“Anyways, we need to go.” Fitz stated harshly. “Stop standing around before this thing decides to go back to sleep! I’d like to not be stuck in a parallel universe where I’m supposed to be dead!”

Daisy frowned and turned to face Grant, “Sorry, I guess that means that we’ve gotta get going.” she stated lightly. “It was, uh, nice meeting you.”  _ “It’s nice meeting a good Ward. It’s like the Framework all over again. But still, is every other world wanting us together? We were dating in the Framework, now we’re married here. What the hell?” _

Sadness quickly reappeared in Grant’s eyes as he nodded slightly, stepping away from the Monolith, “Yeah, same. I guess.” he muttered. “I don’t want to keep you waiting.”

“Fitz, is that thing ready?” Simmons asked, not saying anything to Grant. “I wanna go.”

“Yeah. Just jump in.”

Simmons sniffed and walked into the Monolith, the rock liquidizing and swallowing her whole. Fitz took one last look at Grant before doing the same. Grant absolutely hated the silence that they gave him. He was so used to them being so friendly and caring with him. Fitz even had been a big helper with his therapy. 

May looked at Grant, “Like what Daisy said. I guess this is bye.” She quickly turned around and walked into the Monolith as well. Coulson nodded at Grant and followed May into the rock. 

Daisy was the only one that was left now. 

She looked at him and frowned, “Sorry about this. I know that you probably didn’t want this to happen.” she stated. “Probably made things worse, huh?”

He shrugged, “I don’t know. I know that you’re not what I lost, but it still hurts like a bitch.” he muttered in response. “It’s still like that the universe wanted to laugh at me or something.”

Daisy’s shoulders slumped, starting to feel really sorry for him, “You loved us, didn’t you?”

All he could do was nod. 

“I think our Ward did, too. He just didn’t know how to express it. We were fools and didn’t see that he needed help. And we sent him to the grave.” she continued. “He would’ve been just like you if we hadn’t been so damn selfish.”

Grant took a sharp breath and drew his gaze away from her, “You better get going.” he stated quietly, turning his back to her. “I don’t want you getting stuck here.”

“Grant,”

“Go. You need to be with them.”

Daisy’s heart lurched again and she took one last look at him before jumping into the Monolith. Grant turned back around, watching the rock dance violently. Even though he knew that it would disappear soon, something drew him towards it. 

No, he couldn’t stay here any longer. He couldn’t keep wallowing in his own misery. Even if they hated him, he could still make it work. Somehow.

Grant suddenly flung himself at the Monolith without a second thought just as it began to devour itself, devouring him as well and leaving the room completely and utterly empty. 

Maybe hope for himself was finally in his future. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there. That happened. Grant went through the Monolith, leaving his own world. It's just a matter of what happens to him now.... Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	5. Ordinary World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team finds out that someone followed him through...

The first thing everyone noticed when they came to was the hulking figure looming over them. The figure scampered backwards as he noticed that they were awake.

“A-Are you okay?” he stammered, the voice oddly familiar. “I thought you hit your heads.”

Coulson was the first to sit up, “What the hell, what are you doing here?” he asked angrily. “Shit, we must’ve jumped into another dimension. Again.”

Everyone looked up to the figure and he waived awkwardly. 

“Ward.” Daisy breathed, standing to her feet. “Guess we can never really escape him. What world are we in now?”

Grant cocked his head, “I… I don’t understand.” he stated meekly. “I thought that we were in your world. I don’t recognize where we are.” He looked around, “Are we in your world?”

Fitz’s face fell as he realized what he was talking about, “I think this  _ is  _ our world.” he began. He looked back to Grant, “He came over with us. He’s the same one from the world we just left.”

Grant smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head as they all looked at him in confusion, “I… I can explain.”

Daisy bit her lip, taking a small step towards him, “Why did you follow us?” she asked quietly. “This isn’t your world. Why follow us to where you don’t belong?”

“Did you honestly expect me to stay behind?” he asked coldly, crossing his arms. “I find out there’s a world where you  _ all  _ are alive and you honestly expect me to stay behind where I’m all alone?”

“But you don’t belong here.” Simmons argued, pointing towards him. “There is no way that this could be right. Think about all of the laws of nature that are being broken here. How could this be  _ right _ ? A man who is supposed to be  _ dead  _ in this world just waltzes over from another world? What the hell?”

Fitz shrugged, “I don’t know what the implications of this could even be.” he stated. “I don’t know if having another universe’s guy here would do anything. There’s no telling.”

Grant looked away, realizing that they were talking about his presence here being wrong. That it could mess something up. So had he done something horribly wrong just because he didn’t want to be alone any longer?

“Well, what if it doesn’t do anything wrong?” Daisy suggested, looking straight at Grant. “We have no idea to where we are right now and there’s probably no way to get back to his world. We don’t have time to be dwelling on this. No matter what you guys think about it.”

“So you’re saying that we’re just gonna have to take him with us?” Simmons suggested, crossing her arms. “Because I absolutely refuse to do so.”

“Look,” Grant began, taking a tentative step towards Simmons. “I am not the Grant who hurt you. So, truly, you have no reason to hate me here.” He pointed at her, “So stop with that, please. And I have no reason to hurt any of you either. I think you can trust me just a little bit. I understand to  _ why  _ you hate me, but I don’t like it. I am not the same guy.”

“That’s what makes it even worse.” May muttered, even though she knew that Grant was right. They really had no reason to hate him. He and their Grant were definitely not the same person. This Grant never did the horrible things that their Grant did. The most that he did was what happened with Garrett. But the other world’s versions of them had some reason or another to trust him. So, why did they?

“I think he’s right.” Daisy stated. “If the other us trusted him, then I think we can at least trust him long enough to figure out just what the hell is going on now.”

Grant gave her a thankful look and she tried to ignore how his eyes lingered on her stomach for a few seconds. Her stomach lurched as she remembered that he had said he was going to have a kid. He and his Daisy were going to be parents. And that had been oh so violently ripped away from him. 

“You have to be bloody insane!” Simmons almost screamed. “You’ve should’ve learned by now that we can trust  _ no  _ version of Grant Ward!”

“The Framework him turned out to be perfectly okay!” Daisy snapped back, glaring at Simmons. “Just give him a chance! I think he’s been through enough.”

Coulson took a breath, deciding to move the subject on. He was conflicted on Grant’s presence. On one hand, he didn’t trust him very much, but on the other he understood that this was a totally different Grant. Maybe Daisy did have a point after all.

“Look, we’ll deal with this later once we can figure out just where the hell we are.” he stated, getting their attention. He looked around, “Hopefully, we’re somehow in a SHIELD base and things work out for us. But we still have to figure out how to prevent the future timeline.”

“And that’s if we’re actually back in our world.” Daisy grumbled as Coulson began to lead them down the darkened hallway. “Please tell me that there’s some way to figure out.”

Fitz shrugged as they walked, Grant slowly settling in right next to Daisy, “I dunno. Look up some news or something?” he suggested. “But we need to figure out just where we are first. There has to be something around that tells us where we are. And we also need to find the others as well.”

“Then we’ll find just that. And maybe find some supplies and such as well, too.” Coulson continued. “Maybe just take a breather for a little bit. I think we’ve got time to just sit down for about an hour or two to get our bearings. Right?”

“You better hope so.” May grumbled as they continued to walk. “Believe it or not, I would actually like a little bit of rest for once.”

Grant blinked, wondering just what they had been through. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what they had been through since their timeline sounded so much worse than his had been right before their deaths. But he knew that it wasn’t his place to ask. He just hoped that whatever had happened to them wouldn’t come back to haunt them. 

Daisy looked over to Grant as they turned a corner. She quietly studied his rugged features, wondering just what he was feeling. She didn’t want to know all that he had been through since his versions of her and the team had been killed. Grant had lost a wife, an unborn child, and several friends all at once. There was no telling to what he was feeling. Especially now that he was with them. 

But maybe things would start to improve for him. 

Maybe he could be truly happy here. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait on this. I meant to update this a few days ago, but I got sick. And I'm starting to lose motivation for this, so I'll start to wrap it up. And to note, I'll be starting to skip around a lot since I haven't watched any of s5, so I'll have to make some things up. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	6. From Here to Eternity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant and Daisy talk.

(Sometime Later)

Daisy bit her lip as she looked over towards Grant, who had his face in his hands. She wasn’t sure of what to say to him since she really didn’t know this version of him all too well. She just happened to be the only one left with him since Coulson and May went off to figure out where they were and Fitzsimmons were busy trying to contact Elena and Mack; clearly all of them wanted nothing to do with Grant right now. Fitz was the only other one than Daisy who showed him any kind of kindness.

“Are… Are you regretting leaving your world?”

Grant’s head perked up and he looked over towards Daisy with a sad look in his eyes, his line of sight going towards her belly once again. He still couldn’t get used to the fact that this wasn’t his Skye and she wasn’t carrying their children. 

“I’m… I’m conflicted. I had nothing going for me in my world.” he answered. “But I clearly don’t have anything here either. Everyone hates me. My family is either dead or hates my guts. So I don’t know what good coming here did. I panicked. I didn’t want to be left alone, so I jumped on through. I’m starting to think that I made a mistake.”

“Honestly, I’ll go ahead and say that I don’t know what I can say to make things better here. Everyone’s having a hard time processing that there’s a Grant Ward that did no wrong to them.” Daisy began in response. “I can see that you aren’t him. It’s just hard to process right now. So, it’ll probably take everyone else a good while to believe so.”

“Or it’ll take an act of self-sacrifice to do so. Like my world.”

Daisy’s face fell and she raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?” she asked. “You didn’t mention anything like that earlier.”

He shrugged, “It really didn’t come to mind. I thought I was invincible after I came to terms with my powers and everyone but Skye and Fitz hated me.” he began. He sighed and leaned back in the couch, “Hive.” Pausing for a few seconds, he shook his head to try and clear the memory away. “I thought I could take him on all by myself, thinking that my powers were enough. But that was obviously not the case and he took control of me in mere moments. It took everything the team had to get me back. Guess they saw something in that. That’s when their hate really started to die down.

That’s when things really started going well for me.” he continued. “Everyone was really starting to like me. We, no, me and Skye got married a few months later. We had some kind of special connection since we had gone through terrigenesis together. Everything went so damn smoothly for a year. Then that’s when Hydra attacked.” His body slumped and sadness shone in his eyes again, “Then I lost everything. Skye and Fitzsimmons weren’t supposed to be on that mission. They were stationed in a communications van about a mile away. But Hydra found them and drug them to the same place with everyone else. Things were supposed to be happy. I was supposed to be a father, dammit. But they were lost too when Skye died.”

“They?”

“Skye was about four months pregnant. That’s why she was stationed in the communications van. Things weren’t supposed to go south.” he continued. “Twins. We were going to have twins.” Grant sighed and drug a hand down his bearded face, “That was supposed to be Skye’s last mission before Coulson took her completely off of duty until the twins were born. But, of course, things didn’t go that way and I lost  _ everything _ .

We were hoping for half and half. I wanted a son and she wanted a daughter. We hadn’t even found out yet. I still ask myself to this day to what the hell went wrong and why I couldn’t stop it.”

“Grant, it doesn’t sound like any of that was your fault.” Daisy said softly, trying to find some way to help calm him down. “You can’t blame yourself for what happened, it was Hydra’s. You were just doing your job and Hydra took advantage of the situation. Don’t blame yourself for something out of your control. Trust me, it gets you nowhere.”

Grant looked away, “I’ve tried telling myself that, but I always feel like I could’ve at least done  _ something _ .” he answered. “I feel so damn useless most of the time. I just can’t bring myself to… To end it…”

Taking a sharp breath, Daisy stood up and moved over to the couch, sitting next to Grant. She knew that someone would yell at her if they walked in, but she honestly didn’t care. She hated to see him like this already. This Grant was not at fault for any of the pain surrounding him. And, honestly, she knew that her Grant hadn’t been either. 

“Grant… Look, I know that you’re not in the greatest place right now. Especially with being in a new world and all. But I promise that thing can get better.” she practically whispered. “I know that there’s a lot to get through now since we don’t even know where the hell we are, but I promise that we’ll find some way to help you.”

Grant looked up and frowned even more, “Who’s ‘we’? Everyone fucking hates me.”

“Well, at least I will. I promise you that.” Daisy answered, quickly realizing the flaw in what she had said. “I may have failed the Grant we had, but I’m… I’m not going to do that with you. Our failure with him is probably what led to all of this. So I’m making sure that doesn’t happen to you.”

A slight smile actually began to pull at the corners of Grant’s lips, “It’s been so long since anyone’s cared about me.” he mumbled. “It… It feels nice.” Not a direct thank you, but Daisy could tell that he really appreciated it. 

“Look, I know that we have no clue to what’s going on right now and that we have to get through all of this first before things can even start to get better, but we’ll get through it. I promise that.” she continued, standing to her feet and turning around so she could look down at him. “It’ll just be tough getting through the rest of this shit, though. We still have to figure out how to stop the destruction of the Earth. And we don’t even know to where to begin at this point.”

Grant took a sharp breath and nodded, “I… I want to help.” he stated. “I know that it’s not my world, but it is now. I don’t want it falling to ruin just as I get here. There has to be some way to save it. Even if you don’t know where to start. It’s out there. Somewhere.”

“Then maybe we should get looking. Hopefully Fitzsimmons found the others by now.” Daisy said. “I’d like to get this done sooner than later.”

Grant smiled. Maybe he could get used to things here. Yes, it wasn’t where he truly belonged, but it was the next best thing.

Maybe his new life could truly begin here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so there will be a massive time jump for the next chapter. Probably a few months to up to a year. I'm not dwelling on s5 events since I haven't watched any of the season, and don't plan on doing so (unless Grant comes back), so I'm skipping the rest of the s5 timeline and heading to where things are better. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	7. Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Six months later....

(Six Months Later)

“Grant, what did you do?!”

“Skye, stop it, it tickles!” Grant shied away as Daisy tried to reach out towards his face again.

“Grant, it’s all gone! Why did you shave it all? You know that I loved your beard!”

Grant scratched the back of his head, “Well, it was getting nappy and you _were_ complaining about how it was scratchy whenever we kiss.” he answered. “So, I got rid of it. And it’s not like it’ll be gone forever, I’ll have stubble again in another day or two. Don’t act like it’s the complete end of the world.”

Daisy furrowed her brow and ran a finger down Grant’s now-bare cheek, causing him to shiver again, “You’re not the lumberjack anymore. You’re my baby-faced Grant Ward.” she stated with a slight smirk. “Smooth as a baby’s ass.”

“Skye…”

“It’s true. Nice and ass-soft.”

Grant grimaced and looked away, “Don’t say it like that.” he mumbled. “That’s nasty.”

Daisy rolled her eyes and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek, “You know I love you.” she laughed. She patted his leg, “Come on, let’s get some lunch. You worked-out all morning, so you’ve got to be absolutely starving.” She stood up from the bed, “You really need to give yourself a break. We’ve all been nonstop since Coulson got us in the good graces of the government again. You would’ve think that defeating someone like Graviton would do at least something for us. But nope, we have to do every little thing that the rest of the government wants us to do.”

“Well, they’re just testing their trust of us.” Grant answered as he began to follow Daisy out of the room. “They’re just seeing if we’ll follow orders or whatnot.” He shrugged, “I don’t mind it. Gives us something to do.”

“Yeah, but I want a break every now and then, Grant. I want a vacation. I want to go somewhere far away from here for a while. You know what? I want to go to Japan?”

“Japan?”

“Yeah. Can’t you speak Japanese? That would help out tremendously.”

“I’m not completely fluent in it, Skye. But why Japan?” Grant asked as they headed down the hallway. “Why not somewhere tropical?”

Daisy shrugged, “I’ve just always wanted to go there.”

“Please don’t say it’s just because you want to find legit stuff for that anime you like.”

“Hey! I know that I can order stuff online, but it’s not the same! I wanna see what _actual_ Japanese stores have! And besides, I hear the cherry blossoms are beautiful this time of year.”

“We’re in DC, we have plenty of them.”

“Still, not the same.”

Grant rolled his eyes as they made their way into the kitchen, “Whatever you say. I’m just saying that we probably won’t get a vacation anytime soon.” he stated. “I’m surprised that we even have a day off. We,”

“Whoa! It’s gone!”

Grant sighed and turned to see Fitz pointing as his face, “Yes, Fitz, I shaved for once.” he said. “Why’s it such a big deal?”

“Baby face!” Fitz laughed, covering his mouth. “That’s something we haven’t seen in a while!”

Daisy smiled and patted Grant on the cheek, “See? I told you. Baby-faced.”

Blushing, Grant looked down to his feet, “I just wanted a change, that’s all.” he mumbled. “I don’t know why it’s so funny.”

“Fitz! You’re making him blush!”

“Ow! What was that for, Jemma?!”

Grant looked back up to see Simmons standing beside her husband, a hand under her very pregnant belly. She scowled at him.

“Remember what I said about joking with him?” she asked, still scowling at Fitz.

“Uh, that he sometimes doesn’t take it the right way?”

Swallowing, Grant looked away again and started to scratch the back of his head. He hated it when the others acted this way around him. Even though he was starting to really cope with the trauma of losing them in his own world, he still had a lot of issues with things. He didn’t like it when they treated him differently, even though they didn’t mean anything bad by it. He just wanted to be treated normally for once.

But he guessed that he couldn’t blame them, though. They were probably still getting used to the fact that he was here and that he wasn’t their original Grant. He knew that it still freaked some of them out. Even Daisy had expressed that she still found it a little weird, even thought they had been dating for two months now.

“How’s uh… How’s the baby?” Grant asked, trying to move the subject onto something else. “Everything still okay?”

Simmons smiled. Honestly, she was probably the most changed around him. She had hated him six months ago and now she couldn’t imagine life without him. And Grant was extremely glad for that.

“She’s fine.” Simmons replied, rubbing a gentle hand over the swell of her belly. “Just a little active today. There’s a reason to why Fitz calls her Monkey already.”

Grant nodded, “And that’s not because he still wants a pet monkey?” he asked in response. “’Cause he told me yesterday that he still wants one.”

“No, it’s not because of that.” Simmons huffed and rolled her eyes. “Fitz, I told you, we’re not getting a monkey. And besides, it wouldn’t be good for the baby to be around an animal like that.”

“Can’t a man dream, Jemma?!”

“That’s where your monkeys will stay. In your dreams.” She grabbed Fitz’s hand, “Come on, Fitz. Let’s leave these two alone.”

“What? I just got in here!”

“Fitz!”

Daisy stifled a laugh as the two scientists left the kitchen, “You glad that we’re not like that?” she teased as Grant shot her a glare. Grant walked over towards the fridge as Daisy smiled again.

“What you want for lunch?” he asked, sticking his head into the fridge. Small wisps of steam curled off of his skin as it made contact with the coldness of the fridge, causing Daisy to laugh again. His high body heat always made his skin do that.

“Hmmm… I want one of those famous Grant Ward sandwiches I hear so much about.” she answered, plopping herself down at the bar. “But with extra mayo this time.”

Grant smirked, “Well, I’ll see what I can do about that.” He began rummaging around in the fridge, “Fitz is really gonna be pissed if he finds out this is what Simmons made him miss. He loves my sandwiches. Well, right underneath the ones she makes for him.” He threw the ingredients he needed onto the counter and turned around to look at Daisy as he closed the door, “But, honestly, mine are much better than hers.”

Daisy rolled her eyes, “There’s that ego.” she stated.

“What? I’m telling the truth. My sandwiches are way better than anyone else’s. Hell, I could start my own restaurant.”

“I thought you wanted to start a dog shelter.”

“Side job.”

“Wow, really ambitious of you.”

Grant raised an eyebrow, “Well, I _would_ like to do something other than be a spy one day.” he said. “That’s the dream.”

“Well, I guess we’ll see about that in the future. We do have a hell of a lot of work to do right now. So, that’s probably gonna be a while from now.”

He shrugged, reaching for a knife, “I guess that doesn’t matter. As long as I get to do something different than this. Maybe one day.”

Daisy smiled slightly, “I think that we’ll get it eventually, Grant. I think everyone deserves a break sometime. It’s been a hell of a year. No, it’s been a hell of a past few years. Things need to come to an end sooner or later, right?”

Grant smiled back at her, “Right. I just want something quiet for once. No guns. No fights. No using powers against others. Just peace. Peace and quiet.

Do you think that we’ll get that together some day?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I should've probably mentioned before now that my fics would be on semi-hiatus until next weekend due to finals. I'll get to The Mask Slips Away tomorrow and then it'll be quiet until then. Sorry about that. And a quick note here. The team dealt with s5 events very quickly and prevented the Earth's destruction. This Grant and Daisy fell in loved fairly quickly. And SHIELD is back into good graces with the government. And all that jazz. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	8. Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fin.

(Five Years Later)

“Momma! Look at the puppies!”

Daisy’s head perked up as she saw her twins staring into a kennel, their father right behind them, “Oh, really?” she asked gently, starting to walk over. “How many are there?”

Adian squinted his eyes, “Uh… One… Two! Two puppies!” he exclaimed. The three-year-old pressed his hands against the glass of the kennel door, “I like the black puppy.”

“Momma! I don’t like the black one!” Ava protested, wrapping her arms around her mother’s leg as Daisy came to stand by them. “I like that one!” She pointed at a brown and black German shepherd puppy that stood right next to the black one, the both of them looking curiously at the family. 

Daisy bit her lip, “Guys, you know that we can only take one home.” she began, frowning as she even saw disappointment settle into Grant’s eyes. “I don’t think that we can handle two of them right now.” 

“Momma, I want the black one!” Adian cried as his father lifted him up into his arms. “He’s the bestest!”

“No, the brown one is the bestest!” Ava shouted back, glaring at her twin brother. “He’s the bestest!”

With a sigh, Daisy rolled her eyes, knowing that there would be no easy resolution to this. Either way, one of the twins would be left utterly disappointed. And knowing what they got from their father, they would sulk around for days about it. Even though they were only three. 

Grant’s eyes flickered back and forth between the two as they basically babbled/argued with one another, half of what they were saying not making any kind of sense whatsoever. His eyes went back to the two puppies. He noted that they looked fairly similar to one another and were more than likely brothers. Well, he didn’t intend on taking two dogs home, but he really didn’t want to break up a sibling pair. He smiled as the two puppies started wrestling with one another.

“Well,” Grant walked up to his wife and leaned in towards her ear. “Honestly, I don’t think that it would hurt to get the both of them, Skye.” he whispered. “I’m home most of the time now and it wouldn’t be that hard to take care of the both of them. And this way, we won’t have a completely pissed-off toddler on our hands for the next few days. And besides, they’re brothers. Do you really want to break them apart?”

Daisy took a breath and stepped back, “God, you’re such a sap, Grant.” she replied, bending down to gently pick up her daughter. She looked back at the two shepherd puppies and studied them for a while. She eventually let out another sigh, “Fine. We’ll get them both. As long as you teach these two how to properly take care of them.”

Grant’s face lit up and it was clear that getting them both was what he had wanted all along, “Great!” he exclaimed. “We’ll have fun!”

Adian’s brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what his father was talking about, “Daddy? Puppy?”

His father nodded in response, “We’re getting the both of them. That way you can get the black one and Ava gets the brown and black one.” he answered. “We’ll work on naming them later.”

“Two puppies?!” Ava screeched in delight, wriggling around in her mother’s arms. “Two?! I wanna name him Tree!”

Daisy’s face immediately fell, “Tree? Oh no, sweetie. We can figure out a  _ much  _ better name than that.” she said softly. “Tree really isn’t a good dog name. We’ll figure something out later.”

Ava pouted and turned her head away, not saying anything in response. Daisy walked towards Grant and handed the little girl to him. 

“Here, can you hold her?” she asked. “I’m gonna go find one of the workers and tell them that we’re gonna get these two. Hopefully we can get this done soon. Don’t forget, Mack and Elena are bringing Lucia over later for a playdate.”

“Lucia can play with puppies, too!” Adian exclaimed. “She like puppies?”

Grant smiled at him, “I’m sure that she does, buddy.” he answered. “But remember to be gentle with them. They’re little. They’re even smaller than you. But they’ll be much bigger in a few months.”

“Giant puppies?!”

“Yeah, sure, let’s go with that.”

Daisy stifled a laugh, “Maybe not as big as you think, Adian. But they’ll be big enough.” she stated. She began to turn around, “Alright, let me go find that guy we saw earlier.” she mumbled, walking off from them. 

“So, what do you think we should name them?” Grant asked, looking straight at the two puppies. “Remember, they’re both boys. And don’t get too over-the-top.”

“Tree!” Ava exclaimed again, still clearly upset that his mother had rejected her idea.

Grant shook his head, “No, I think that one’s not going to work, Ava. We’re gonna have to think a little harder than that, bug.”

Ava pouted once more.

Grant rolled his eyes and wondered just how he had gotten here.

It had been a long five years since he threw himself into this new world. Luckily for him, he and Daisy hit it off pretty fast, despite it being kind of weird that she still wasn’t his Skye. But things still did work out in the end. 

They had gotten married about two years later since they figured they were in a good enough place to do so and wanted to go ahead and do it in case something happened to them. Then the twins had been born about a year later, which had been an absolute blessing to Grant. He still believed that they were the kids he lost in his world. 

In the past five years, SHIELD had managed to build itself back up into a somewhat respectable organization again, with everything being stationed out of the Triskellion now. Daisy worked mainly with hacking since she didn’t want to risk herself in the field since they had the twins now. Grant worked at the Academy as a instructor since he really didn’t want to see combat anymore. But if SHIELD absolutely needed them for whatever reason, they would still suit up from time to time as the infamous Quake and Hellfire. 

But Grant much more preferred the family life over anything else. 

“Grant! Grant!”

Grant’s head snapped up and he looked over to see Daisy standing there with a shelter worker, “Huh?”

“Come on, we’ve got to fill some paperwork out before we bring them home.” she stated. “You need to be with me to do it.”

He took a breath, “Fine. Coming.”

“Puppies?” Adian asked with a pout on his face, reaching out towards them as Grant walked them away from the kennel. “I want the puppies!”

“We’ll take them home in a little bit, buddy. Just have to do a few things first. 

Then we’ll all have some fun together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's that! Not quite what I wanted it to be, but it still works! I really hoped that you enjoyed this little story! Please leave a comment or a kudos!

**Author's Note:**

> Just another (hopefully) short idea! Find me on Tumblr @gears-of-ward!


End file.
